Thomas Tyner is hugged by Andre Yruretagoyena after a touchdown as Team Mariasu battles Team Twifo in Oregon's Spring Football Game at Autzen Stadium in Eugene. (Photo: Thomas Patterson / Statesman Jou)

Players such as Marcus Mariota give jerseys to military members after Team Mariasu battles Team Twifo in Oregon's Spring Football Game at Autzen Stadium in Eugene. (Photo: Thomas Patterson / Statesman Jou)

Playing only the first quarter, Mariota completed 6 of 7 passes for 121 yards, including a 45-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Devon Allen, to help lead the Olive team to a 27-7 victory Saturday, May 3, before a crowd of 37,127 at Autzen Stadium.

Mariota downplayed his role in selecting players on the winning team.

"Hroniss made all the smart picks," Mariota said with a smile.

Mariota, a junior from Honolulu who bypassed the 2014 NFL draft to play another season in Eugene, made a few side bets on the game with teammates.

There was little for Mariota to prove in what amounted to a controlled scrimmage that concluded 15 spring practices.

After all, we're talking about a Heisman Trophy frontrunner who threw for 3,665 yards and 31 touchdowns last season. He also ran for 715 yards and nine scores and is regarded as one of the premier dual-threat quarterbacks in college football.

Still, there is room for growth and that's why Mariota left what figured to be millions of dollars on the table and put his NFL dreams on hold.

His touchdown pass to Allen – Mariota rolled to his right and hit Allen in stride – was among the highlights of the day.

"It was kind of a busted play," Allen said. "I just happened to be backside post and was wide open. He made a perfect pass."

The Ducks need to add depth at receiver after junior Bralon Addison suffered a torn ACL early in spring practice and likely will miss the entire 2014 season. Allen, a redsdhirt freshman who also excels as a sprinter and hurdler in track and field, will be counted on to produce this fall.

Both of Allen's catches went for scores in the spring game. He caught a 49-yard touchdown pass from redshirt freshman Damion Hobbs on the game's final play.

"After the first drive I think I calmed down and started playing football like I'm used to," Allen said of his first spring game appearance. "It was a lot of fun and exciting."

Quarterbacks wore red jerseys and were off limits for contact. They were considered down when a defender was in position to make a tackle.

While there is no question about who will lead the Ducks offensively this season, the backup quarterback spot remains too close to call between sophomores Jake Rodrigues and Jeff Lockie. Neither player solidified his hold on the job Saturday.

Rodrigues, who started for the Grey team, was 7 of 18 for 66 yards and an interception, with 28 yards rushing. The only score for "Twifo" came on a 20-yard pass from redshirt freshman quarterback Taylor Allie to redshirt freshman receiver Darren Carrington with 4:09 remaining.

Lockie, who backed up Mariota, was 7 of 12 for 121 yards and one touchdown, and ran for 18 yards.

Helfrich described the performance of Rodrigues and Lockie as "meyah," a word Oregon's second-year coach said he would spell later (he did not), but clearly was not a compliment.

"I thought a couple times both of 'em absolutely forced it," Helfrich said. "That's human nature of trying to win the job with one throw and that's the quickest way to lose it."

The spring game marked the first opportunity for fans to see Johnathan Loyd in a football uniform. Oregon's point guard on the basketball team the past four seasons, Loyd (a member of "Twifo") was drilled by junior receiver B.J. Kelley on a punt return before he had a chance to make a play on the ball, which drew a 15-yard penalty.

He also took a hard hit from redshirt freshman cornerback Tyree Robinson after a 4-yard catch on the sideline.

"I was kind of thinking, 'I wonder how it's gonna feel to get hit like that in a real game setting?'" Loyd said. "But it wasn't bad."

The Olive team accumulated 453 total yards to 189 for the Grey team. Sophomore tailback Thomas Tyner (Olive) was the leading rushing with 58 yards on 10 carries.

Junior tailback Byron Marshall (Olive) was limited to five yards on four carries in limited work. Redsdhirt freshman Kani Benoit led the Grey squad with 44 yards on five rushes.

Defensively, Robinson and senior cornerback Dior Mathis had interceptions, and sophomore defensive back Reggie Daniels had three pass breakups.

Robinson was thrilled to participate in his first spring game.

"Last year at this time I was home watching the spring game," Robinson said. "Just being amped to see the support that we have for just a spring game. It felt like a game to me and just loved it."

Note: For the fifth year in a row, the armed services were recognized throughout the day. After the game, Oregon players presented their game jerseys to approximately 100 uniformed men and women representing all branches of the military.

1. What if Marcus Mariota goes down with an injury? Backup quarterbacks Jeff Lockie and Jake Rodrigues are unproven.

2. The Ducks are bigger and stronger on both sides of the ball. The offensive line returns intact, but Oregon's defensive front struggled to stop the run last season in losses at Stanford and Arizona and it remains to be seen if that unit is of national championship contender quality.

3. A season-ending knee injury to wide receiver Bralon Addison is an issue for a unit that already had to replace Josh Huff due to graduation. Keanon Lowe is a veteran receiver, but who else will step up?

4. All-america cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu is the only returning starter in the secondary. Will Erick Dargan emerge as a leader and big-play man at free safety?

5. Second-year coach Mark Helfrich faces great expectations. Can he create his own legacy in the post-Chip Kelly era?